It was a hot day in Domino City
by thunderstormgirl
Summary: Oh the dedication of Yami and Kaiba! Dueling outside on such a sweltering day! Luckily for their boyfriends this duel is not destined to last very long... YamiYugi KaibaJoey


I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. But I do have a poster of Pharoah and Kaiba striding purposefully forward. Yeah, it's right next to my bed!

It was a hot day in Domino City. In fact, "hot" was an understatement, the sun had been blazing down for hours, enrobing everything (and everyone) it could get its greedy rays on in a suffocating blanket of gold.

"Oh man! I bet even Egypt is cooler right now!" exclaimed Tristan, earning a bemused glance from his friend Yami.

"Quit ya complainin Tristan, we're here to watch a duel!" But even as the words left Joey Wheeler's mouth he knew quite well there were a rather large number of things he'd rather be doing then standing in the middle of a park watching a game of Duel Monsters. So why _was_ he there? The answer was a simple one and it made him smile in spite of himself: his boyfriend, Seto Kaiba, the tall, handsome, 23 year old CEO of Kaiba Co. It was all Joey could do to take his eyes off Kaiba for the few seconds required to respond to Tristans useless remark. _Wow, Kaiba looks so hot when he duels, and yet he remains so cool, so composed. _It was true, even in the sweltering heat, Kaiba was dressed impeccably in a black turtleneck and his customary white trenchcoat. _But I bet when we get home- _Joey's thought was cut off just as it was getting good by a siren-like shriek. It was at that moment that every male present (save for Tristan) had exactly the same thought _Crap. That could only be... _

"Hey guys! Whatcha doing? I've been looking all over for you!"

(Collective sigh) _Tea._

"I don't recall anyone inviting you here, Gardner," said Kaiba coldly. It was a well-known fact that Tea had a crush on just about every male alive and that included his puppy. If there was one thing people knew about Kaiba it was this- Kaiba got what he wanted and he did not share it. And yet Kaiba chuckled to himself when he realized all the men Tea loved were in fact in love with men themselves except for Tristan._ He always has been a little sketchy_ thought Kaiba _Well, Tea can have him, they deserve each other. _Joey beamed, Kaiba was bossy sometimes (ok, all the time) but he was honest and when it came to Tea he spoke not only for himself but for everyone present._ Besides, Tea is blocking my view of Kaiba's…_

"You know Kaiba, you might be rich and all but this park is a public place and I have just as much right to be here as you do."

Kaiba sighed inwardly andmade a mental note to acquire the property they were standing on as soon as possible.

"Anyway, I wasn't even looking for you, I was looking for Yugi."

At this, the Pharaoh looked up. Where, indeed, was his light? He had been there behind him just a minute ago, hadn't he? Or had he been seeing things…In his deep voice he addressed Tea,

"Yugi was a bit tired out, so he headed back to the game shop to rest." It was a lie, a blatant lie, in fact. But anything was acceptable if it got rid of the abomination that was Tea Gardner for even a little while.

With a sickeningly sweet smile Tea chirped, "Thanks Yami! Looks like some people are just more helpful than others," and with a pointed stare at Kaiba she skipped off.

_Finally_ thought Kaiba, Joey and Pharaoh. Tristan simply looked puzzled. He couldn't understand what his friends didn't like about Tea, she was nice enough…It should be pointed out here that these are not simply the musings of a heat-addled brain, Tristan truly had no idea why Tea was not welcome.

A smirking Kaiba addressed Pharaoh,

"Not bad. That should keep her out of our business for at least an hour; more than enough time for me to finish you off."

_Great_ thought Joey. He almost didn't care anymore who won this duel as long as it ended._ Then I can go home with Kaiba. And Kaiba's mansion has central air and…Kaiba._

"Don't be so sure about that Kaiba, as long as I have life points, it's still on," replied Yami. But just as he was about to make his move he felt a presence at his side. He looked down and saw his light standing beside him. Suddenly he was flooded with feelings of relief and love for the young boy. The day _was_ hot and of course Yugi did not have the advantage of having lived in a desert climate…yet still he had insisted on accompanying Yami to the duel…

"Yugi…"

_"_I wish you didn't have to duel on a day like today Yami, it's so hot…" Yugi fumbled for words all the while shyly avoiding the surprised yet affectionate gaze being directed at him by his darker half.

"Yugi…"

"Mou hitori no boku (ok, in Japanese this means something like 'another I' Yugi calls Yami this and Yami calls him 'aibou' which means 'partner' sorry if you already knew this…) I just wanted to help you somehow…here!" And saying this he thrust a glass of ice water into his surprised Pharaoh's hands. Yami struggled to find words to express his gratitude. _Where would I be without him? He is the light to my dark…_

"Yugi…" He took a long, slow drink of the water allowing it to trickle down his throat like a stream even as rivulets of sweat ran down his face. The he offered the glass to Yugi who, blushing at the look of pure love in his Pharaoh's eyes, haltingly accepted it and gratefully drank. The suns heat, the breathtaking presence of his Yami, the cold water slowly making its way down…it was quite a combination of sensations and Yugi felt himself slipping away into his Pharaoh's arms…

Joey watched the touching scene before him and took advantage of the lull in the duel to look questioningly at Kaiba.

"Not now, pup, this is a park, we have to keep it G-rated." But inwardly he was cursing himself._ Why am I here dueling on a day like this? I could be at home working on spreadsheets or…_he found himself being slowly coated by the affection flowing out of Joey's imploring honey colored eyes _or…_Kaiba found his breathing was getting a bit ragged and his pulse was racing_ or doing other, less productive, things._ He glanced over and saw Pharaoh kneeling on the ground, gently cradling Yugi's head in his lap._ Looks like this duel is over._

"Well, Pharaoh, if you've got nothing better to do than play Nurse, I've got work to attend to."

But Pharaoh was far too busy gazing down at the peaceful expression on his light's face to even acknowledge Kaiba's words._ Right now, he looks so calm, so pure. I would do anything to protect you Yugi. I will always be here for you…_And Yugi, eyes closed, lips slightly parted in a smile, murmured "Yami"

"Yes Yugi? I'm right here."

But Yugi, being in a dream, simply smiled and snuggled deeper into Yami. The Pharaoh smiled contentedly and, carefully lifting the lithe body of his hikari, began to head homeward.

"Hey Kaiba, doncha think we should go home now too?" questioned Joey. _I hope he says yes. Otherwise I might get dragged on some long cross-town trip to examine some rare card. I mean, I love Duel Monsters, but…I haven't been alone with Kaiba since this morning. Mmmmm…this morning._ And here he smiled, Kaiba's younger brother, Mokuba, had demanded pancakes for breakfast and despite his stern image, Kaiba doted on his younger brother, so pancakes it had been. Needless to say, the image of Kaiba in the kitchen (for though the Kaibas possessed a sizable staff, Kaiba seemed to enjoy being self-sufficient) would stay with Joey for a long time.

"I suppose so. I have quite a bit of work to do after all." Kaiba replied, his back turned so that Joey could not see the grin dancing on his face. He loved Joey, after all, and yet…well, if something was worth having it was worth working for. Kaiba's conscience disagreed,_ You fool, you know you want him and you know he wants you, why must you always play this game?... Because I can._

Joey's face fell. _Work? It's Saturday!_ But he wasn't about to give up that quickly. And lazily stretching his arms upward, handily providing Kaiba with a view of his toned stomach, he said,

"Awww…c'mon! I bet I can think of some otha stuff dats more important…"

Kaiba's interest was piqued and he could feel himself caving in, _Well, after all, it **is** only Saturday…I could assess those progress reports tomorrow…_ Yet still he remained composed and managed to respond in a monotone, trying (and failing miserably) to sound uninterested,

"Such as…"

Kaiba could only watch helplessly as the blonde god known as Joey Wheeler, his puppy, leaned in and, his golden locks falling softly across Kaiba's face, whispered in his ear. Kaiba's eyes widened and he suddenly became thankful for the weather that enabled him to explain away the deep red flush that was slowly spreading across his face as simply being a result of the heat…


End file.
